Kylie is a sweet little girl who we have the privilege of knowing.  Her Mom is one of Merrik’s cheerleading coaches.

You can see more from the proposal on our Facebook Page-  www.facebook.com/MarkEricWeddings

Congrats Meagan and Benjamin!

Beebe Tran and his lovely wife operate Studio Tran, which is by far the leading wedding photography studio in New Orleans, and for good reason. Their clients absolutely rave about them. Their work is phenomenal. To top it off, they are both genuinely great people inside and out. Find out how he manages to book up to 8 weddings a weekend, and maintain a workflow that allows for a healthy family life. Beebe spoke at our last mentoring session in Baton Rouge, inspiring everyone who attended.

Jason Cohen is no stranger to our blog. As many of you know, he and I are great friends. I can honestly say that he is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to networking and marketing. His images have a unique quality that sets him apart from everyone. He has traveled the world doing what he loves- documenting weddings and people. He is sure to inspire, you don’t want to miss it.

And then there is me. If you enjoy my work, and want to learn more about my story, philosophy, technique, and workflow- I would love to see you there!

Registration is open now! www.nolaphotoschool.com

Kickstart Our Art-

The thought of a studio with 10 different muslins and a few rolls of seamless paper has never intrigued me. If I had to stay locked up in a studio, I probably would have bailed out of photography long ago. One of the things that inspires me and keeps me motivated is the challenge of shooting amazing clients (that’s you) in different locations and venues for something truly unique. I love the challenge of dissecting the light, scouting the right location, and finding a way to make the environment sing in harmony with my subject for extraordinary photographs.

Heather and I joke about making a video of what it’s like to drive through the eyes of a photographer. Every time we travel, whether to the store, to school, or to another city, our eyes scout the horizon daydreaming about what it would be like to shoot in the different locations. Occasionally, we’ll see a location, look at each other and just laugh. It seems we are drawn to tall fields of grass with lots of open sky, barren and decaying buildings such as old barns and brick sheds, greenhouses, rusty old vehicles, and locations that are normally considered eye sores.

So, we came up with a fun idea. Why not offer free portrait sessions to property owners who have something visually interesting to offer us. We are asking anyone who has property (whether it’s land, buildings, livestock, or vehicles) that may be of interest to us to contact us about a possible trade. It’s pretty simple really. We give you a lifestyle portrait session at a local location of your choice. We hook you up with a lots of prints from the shoot. You allow us to use your property for a shoot with one of our clients. If you are interested, please send an email to mark@markeric.net with a picture of your property attached. You’ve got it, flaunt it. Kickstart Our Art.

Types of property we are currently looking for:
A) Decaying buildings
B) Open fields with tall grass
C) Locations with “big sky”
D) Interiors that have a unique vibe
E)  Buildings and interiors featuring modern architecture

If you are interested-  please email mark@markeric.net.   Thanks!

Welcome, new blog headers:

Break out an umbrella and begin to dance when it rains.

Pick out flowers from a street vendor if other plans fall through.

Don’t mind if the dress gets a little dirty in order to get great pictures! (The dress goes in a closet anyways, but the pictures will be displayed for a long time!)

Tie their dress in a knot so that they can dance when the bustle keeps coming undone at the reception.

Bring friends and family to their portrait sessions who will support and encourage them.

Have a genuine love for their fiance!

Aren’t afraid to laugh in front of the camera.

Wear Chucks.

Wear Jimmy Choo’s.

Wear whatever fits their unique personality!

Don’t tan in a string bikini before their bridal session (or wedding!)

Love to Flaunt.

Are shy, but trust us and follow our direction with confidence.

Giggle. Alot.

Use our image for their facebook profile pics!

Love us back.

One of my biggest regrets as a visual artist is that I didn’t attempt to make my way to our ravaged coast until 4 months after The Storm. This is mostly because I was so busy with the bank that I just didn’t have time. When I did finally venture down to New Orleans, the devastation was still widespread- and I was able to capture some powerful images simply by shooting out a car window as we drove around. I could pull some hard drives to show what we captured, but I saw a blog post today by one of today’s best photographers, Vincent Laforet, describing his thoughts as he covered the tragedy for the national media.

I urge you to read his story here: http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2010/08/29/katrina-new-orleans-5-years-later/

On a positive note, I’m thankful that today- New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are thriving. I am proud to call the Gulf South my home. There is no place in the world like the Gulf. Our culture, our determination, our love for life are enough to survive any storm.

Main Entry: cal·lous
Pronunciation: \ˈka-ləs\
Function: adjective

1 a : being hardened and thickened b : having calluses
2 a : feeling no emotion b : feeling or showing no sympathy for others : hard-hearted

— cal·lous·ness noun

The lens of a photographer is a powerful conduit.  It serves as a bridge that connects the photographer with moments in time.  Moments that are joyful, and moments that can be very sad.   You may call yourself a visual artist, a photojournalist, an editorial photographer, or simply a photographer.  No matter what your title, if you document people and events then you can relate to the callousness of the lens.

It seems that we all begin our journey into photography with a pure passion of preserving “moments in time”.  We look for emotion.  We are drawn towards action, and we feed off of the reaction.  A candid smile, a subtle tear, a joyous laugh, and even a moment of extreme sadness.  In the beginning, these emotions grab us personally.  We feel them, and often we express them.

But over time, our craft can become so perfected that capturing these moments can become second nature.  We can become so perfect in our skill that we begin to anticipate and prepare for the emotion that’s sure to come.  The emotion comes, but somehow over time- it continues to enter our lens, but not our heart.  We stop feeling it.  Once we capture it- we simply prepare to move on to the next moment.  Perhaps it’s a necessary trait for a professional, or perhaps it’s just a matter of routine.  Somehow our lenses become callous over time.  We no longer feel what our subjects feel.

I admit, I can only think of two weddings that have really made me shed a tear.  Though I pride myself on capturing emotion, my nature is to capture it, then anticipate where it will hit next so I can capture it again, and again, and again. Is this wrong? Of course not.  But sometimes we need to feel what our subject feels, if for no other reason than to help us remember why we do what we do.  Our work will be cherished, admired, and valued more than most possessions that our clients own.  In the case of a fire, our work will be one of the top priorities to get saved.  Not the car, not the house, not the furniture-  but our work.

This past week, I was asked to document something that I’ve never documented before, a funeral.  The Bishop of our church was loved by many.  He inspired and affected thousands around the world, so I knew this wouldn’t be an ordinary assignment, and I was honored to be asked (although the thought of documenting a funeral is a little unsettling simply because the boundries are so hard to define).  When I asked what guidelines I should follow, I was told to just do what I do.  I really only know one way to shoot- which is to find the emotion and capture it. I went into the assignment with this mindset, but little did I know how much it would affect me.  It’s hard to remain callous when peering through a lens that is magnifying a family’s grief and agony as they kiss their beloved husband, dad, and grandfather for the last time.  It’s hard to not shed a tear as you watch the heartache through a telescopic lens.  At times, it was hard to see the viewfinder because of my tears, yet I knew that they would want it all captured.  I really tried to become calloused again.  I tried to not let it affect me while i was shooting- but I just couldn’t-  and I’m thankful for it.  It reminds me that I can be human now and then.  It’s o.k. to feel the emotion while documenting, and I would even argue that it’s necessary.

Will I be affected by every event I shoot from now on-  probably not.  Will I attempt to feel what my subject is feeling?  Absolutely.  Will I make an effort to make every assignment more personal?  Absolutely.  Will I be a better photographer for it?  Without a doubt.

(I would love to post images from the experience to help illustrate my thoughts, but out of respect to the family- they will be the only ones the images will be shared with.)  We’ll miss you Bishop GA,  now you’re alive.